Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that governs the Gaza Strip, has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the US Congress, calling for his arrest as a war criminal instead of allowing him to "polish his image" on the world stage.

In a statement released on Thursday, July 25, 2024, Hamas said, "Netanyahu should have been arrested as a war criminal and handed over to the International Criminal Court instead of being given the opportunity to polish his image in front of the world and cover up the mass killings and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip."

Netanyahu addressed the US Congress on Wednesday, a session boycotted by roughly half of the Democratic members of the House and Senate in protest of Israel's ongoing war and crimes in Gaza.

Hamas accused Netanyahu of attempting to "cover up his military, security, and international crisis" with his speech, claiming he was trying to "justify the defeats his army has suffered in Gaza."

The group also criticized Netanyahu's claims of victory in releasing prisoners, stating he was "ignoring the horrific massacres he committed against civilians in Rafah and Nuseirat during their release."

During his hour-long speech, Netanyahu asserted that "no civilians were killed in Rafah (southern Gaza Strip)," attacked anti-Israel protesters, accusing them of being "pawns of Iran," and claimed Tehran was funding protests against Israel.

He also attacked International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan, who had stated that Israel was starving Palestinians in Gaza, accusing him of "nonsense and fabrication."

In an attempt to evade responsibility for Israel's starvation tactics in Gaza, which have caused a dire humanitarian catastrophe, Netanyahu claimed Palestinians were suffering from hunger because "Hamas is stealing aid."

Netanyahu also requested more weapons from Congress to continue its attacks on Gaza.

Netanyahu arrived in the US on Monday and is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday, followed by Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Friday, he will meet with former President Donald Trump in Florida before returning to Israel on Saturday evening.

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip with full US support, escalating attacks in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The war on Gaza has resulted in over 129,000 Palestinian casualties, including many children and women, and over 10,000 missing, amidst widespread destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children, according to Anadolu Agency.